


My Captain's Keeper

by Rhymefire



Series: Unto the Breach [1]
Category: Sunless Skies
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance, Write As You Play, canon-compliant creepiness, the truth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 11:41:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17621723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhymefire/pseuds/Rhymefire
Summary: The Stolid Crewman was hoping for a peaceful ship. That's not what he got. How can he keep this ship organized when the captain wants to run straight into every dangerous creature she sees?





	1. Aboard the Orphean

17, March 1905

I hope our old captain is eaten by sky-beasts. It would serve him right for abandoning us all here in New Winchester. Since he ran off to sell information, no captain wants to hire us. A few of our number have gone off in search of other jobs, but I am determined to find an engine for myself and those remaining. At least I found lodgings for us. They'll do for now. Hopefully, we'll only be here for a few more days.

 

19, March 1905

I've found a locomotive for us. It is called the Orphean and the captain is the Sly Mistress. She looks like a toff. Normally I wouldn't take anyone with a hat full of flowers seriously, but there is a gleam in her eye that makes me think twice. She laughed a bit at my use-name (there's nothing wrong with Stolid Crewman!) but was happy to take us aboard. She is a new captain and has just inherited her vessel. That's alright. I'm experienced enough for both of us. Her crew was nervous about my group, but a poker game with a nice person called the Incautious Driver smoothed everything over. 

Things are a bit off, though. The captain's crew is a bit nervous. Apparently, the Sly Mistress is a bit crazy and is prone to getting in trouble. She hasn't decided who will be her first officer and nobody wants the job. Can't be any worse than finding supplies for the Tacketies. Now that was a tough job. Getting a locomotive organized and watching out for a mad captain is nothing. 

We do have a passenger aboard. A Fastidious Inspector who wants to be taken to Port Prosper. I made sure she had a room and blankets. Apparently, nobody else had thought of this. She's sitting in her room fiddling with her watch now.

 

22, March 1905

We encountered a marauder today and shot it down. When we went over to loot the vessel, we found a sky-maddened captain. The Sly Mistress cooed over him a bit before telling us to take him aboard. Apparently, we're going to escort him to Magdalene's later. We had to wrap him in blankets and belts before we could take him anywhere. Even now he struggles like an epileptic eel. I put him in the hold. The cook doesn't want to go near him, so I've put myself in charge of his meals. 

I found the Sly Mistress writing about this adventure in her journal, but her handwriting is atrocious. Stories are no good to anyone unless they can be read. I went over the 'Tale of Terror' (she says she's not a poet, but I don't believe her) with her and copied it neatly into a separate journal I found for this purpose. Stories are a valuable form of currency when written down, but you have to be able to read them. She enjoyed the attention. She told me that she used to be an academic and studied the Correspondence and showed me her soul, which she keeps in a bottle on her nightstand. She warned me not to touch the bottle as it's dreadfully cold. Her words, not mine. It looks a bit stained too, but I'm no expert.

"Why is your soul in a bottle?" I asked.

She blinked owlishly at me. "Well, how else would I know where it is?"

She then went on to tell me about how she spent some time at Bethlehem's. I don't think whatever Bethlehem's did to her took. She's still pretty crazy. I suppose she must have learned to lie very well. It's good to know that she can act sane.

 

23, March 1905

That Inspector has grabbed my clock and is trying to fix it. She's got a whole bunch of cogs and gears laid out in a circle around her. The captain talked for a bit with her. Every now and then the Sly Mistress would try to poke a spring and the Inspector would move it out of the way.

 

25, March 1905

Came across a wreck today. Found a survivor. He's too weak to work, but we got some supplies from him. Our old locomotive never had so many passengers aboard.

 

27, March 1905

Found Port Prosper. Encountered some Tacketies fighting a Stovepipe on the way over, but we weaved through the combat and left them behind. Incautious Driver enjoyed it far too much. And so did the captain.

Dropped off Fastidious Inspector and got a bonus because she liked the captain that much.

Picked up an Incognito Princess to work on the locomotive. I just hope she won’t distract the crew with how she dresses. Our Sly Mistress saw her dress, squealed and ran right on over to chatter at her. Left me with all the suitcases. Eventually, I got them all stuffed into Princess’ room. I hope she actually intends to work since our captain has already said she's the new first officer.

After this, our captain insisted on seeing a parade. Somehow, we got swept into a fancy party at the Windward company. Being around so many rich toffs makes me queasy. The Determined Scholar was happy, though. She’s a surfacer that came up to study the stars or something like that. She says she’s an astronomer, but she’s almost as easily distracted as Mistress so her notebook is filled with random scraps. She’s one of my crewmates from the old engine. She’s become friends with the captain already.

Anyways, the ball was a disaster. I think we were almost killed. The Sly Mistress got completely pissed, danced and fondled a statue. It was all I could do to keep her from setting fire to something. At one point, she tried to read some of her correspondence notes to a waiter. What a nightmare.

Once we got back the locomotive and I poured the captain into bed, I visited the Incautious Driver. Well, really I suggested that they see a doctor. They’ve been trembling or something lately. They already make the crew nervous when they grip the wheel. I don’t need them terrifying them by vibrating while driving. They mentioned a specialist in New Winchester. Wonder if I can get Mistress to steer us there.


	2. Recruiting More Officers

2, April 1905

Defeated a reach marauder today. Found some strange creature in the captain’s cabin. It had wrecked the whole place, so Mistress wanted it immediately. Who knows why. On her orders, we managed to lure it into a birdcage. It’s surprisingly oozy. It’s in the hold now. I put a cloth over the cage because it kept oozing at the crew.

Found a wreck nearby and the Princess mourned the dead. Naturally, she drew in the whole crew.

 

4, April 1905

Found an abandoned homestead today. Princess was delighted and mentioned that she had a dollhouse like it when she was a young girl. I’m not surprised. She did help us loot it, though.

 

9, April 1905

Found Magdalene’s today. They sent some ladies in to take our sky-maddened prisoner away. I’m so glad he’s gone. There are enough crazy people on this locomotive. Mistress cooed at him while the ladies were taking him away.

Unsurprisingly, the Amenable Host recognized our captain and invited us to his office. He wants the captain to get rid of a guest that’s misusing their services. Wonder if he knows that Mistress is still crazy. Mistress dressed up as the guest’s lover to drive him away. She basically dressed up as a man and cried at him about how miserable she (he?) was. It was painful to watch. They were both in tears at the end of it. We got a pretty goblet for our troubles that our captain nearly tossed away while sweeping her arms about and just being too damn cheerful about her successful disguise. I tucked the goblet into my pocket for safekeeping. On our way back to the locomotive, I sold it and snuck the money into Mistress’ purse.

Before we had left his office though, he asked us to check in a few ports for people who remembered him. He’s got some conflicting memories, poor guy.

 

16, April 1905

Back at New Winchester. Purchased some ship upgrades from the engine yard. We got a new gun which took hours to screw onto the deck. Mistress also found one of Murgatroyd’s canning stations and bought it. I’m not entirely sure how well the canning station will work since as far as I know Murgatroyd only makes crackers. I haven’t seen any Murgatroyd brand canned meats, but our captain is positive that our chef can make use of it.

I took the Incautious Driver to their family doctor. Turns out it’s a case of verdancy. I’ve met some people with that before. I’m glad it’s nothing too serious. It should be easy to handle. All you’ve got to do is keep them entertained. Easy enough as an engine driver. I didn’t expect to find out that the driver’s a toff, though. At least, according to their paperwork. They’re not so bad for a toff.

While I was doing that, Mistress was flitting around looking for people who knew the Amenable Host. She came back in a sulk, so I don’t think she found anything.

Afterwards, she took me to see one of her old academic friends. She had me cart this enormous black box after her. Gave me the shivers. Then her friend says something about how whatever’s in there could be in hiding from ‘certain laws of the heavens.’ I’m not liking this. I think we should just sell the damn thing, but Mistress put her foot down. She wants to keep it. It’s some puzzle to her. At least we got that awful oozing thing out of the hold. Her friend took it as payment, but I don’t know why he’d want it. It’ll tear up his office if he’s not careful.

 

19, April 1905

Arrived in Titania. Recruited a Rat Brigade as engineers. They used to be sappers in the Winchester War, but their fighting days are over. They know locomotives well and can get to places that I’m too big for. I think they’ll be useful. Mistress was over the moon about being here. I think the flowers in her hat actually bloomed more. She couldn’t find any work for us, but we did manage to drop off some goods. It’s nice being on a merchant ship of sorts. Clearly, the captain has her own thing going on, but we do an awful lot of trading.

I am concerned about running into any chorister bees, but the Incautious Driver just grinned at me when I told them to keep a lookout. I didn’t like that grin.

I made sure that the Rat Brigade had settled into the galley properly. It was awful. They had made a mess of it! The stupid bastards had made a nest out of scraps of cloth and straw. I don’t know where they got the straw. I’m not sure I want to know! I managed to get them to move their nest onto a bed so it wasn’t making a mess of the floor. Couldn’t help but notice that all their equipment was laid out neatly, though.

The Incautious Driver managed to catch Sly Mistress and me during a walk on a marble path of some sort. The captain just latched onto my arm and insisted on taking me for a walk through the gardens in Titania. Anyways, Incautious said that they’d figured out when they must have contracted verdancy. Some crash in a nature reserve. They want to go to Old Tom’s Well. At first, they were a bit worried about how much the verdancy was affecting them, but Mistress just said not to worry too much about it. She’s looking forward to visiting Old Tom’s Well.

 

23, April 1905

Found the Inconceivable Circus. Incautious and Mistress were ecstatic. They’ve never been to a circus before because their parents didn’t like poor people. I got to show them around. Naturally, they tried to sneak behind the tents first, but I put a stop to that and bought us some tickets.

I took them through the amusements first. It wasn’t too fancy, but Mistress and Incautious enjoyed themselves. They loved the big top the most. Incautious loved the horse-drawn calliope, Mistress loved it when the clown set himself on fire accidentally and they both loved it when the lion tamer was mauled by his lion. I have to admit, I enjoyed myself. It was nice to hear the Sly Mistress laugh at my commentary.

 

5, May 1905

Came across a wreck today while hunting for chorister bees. We haven’t found any of those yet, thank goodness. Mistress wanted to pry open the hold. A crewman and I managed to get the cables set up, but a gust of wind rocked us and he slipped. We didn’t lose him, but his hand was mangled. Turns out that I’m the closest we have to a doctor on this engine! I did my share of patching up at the Docks when London was still by the Unterzee. I patched up zailors there when I wasn’t rat catching. Considering what I have to work with, I think the fingers might have to go. All depends on whether or not they get infected. He cut himself on rusty metal, and that’s never safe.

 

7, May 1905

Incautious Driver and I found one of the crew trying to fiddle with the navigation calculations to steer us off course. I dragged her to Sly Mistress. The captain grinned like a hungry cat and asked, “Whatever is the matter with our course?”

The woman I held paled at the gleam in the captain’s eyes. Apparently, she’d once heard the Storm that Speaks and she’s been trying to find it ever since. Our Mistress ordered her back to work. I don’t think it’ll do much good, though. The poor woman’s obsessed and she’s making the rest of the crew nervous. I didn’t say anything at the time since I didn’t want to undermine the captain’s authority, but I did try to have a talk with Mistress about it in private. I don’t think that’ll do much good, either. She sat right next to me and giggled at the attention. What a handful.

 

8, May 1905

Came back to Titania to resupply and found it under attack! Chorister bees are horrible. We leapt to the attack but lost someone to them.

 

18, May 1905

Arrived in Port Prosper today to drop off some goods. Sly Mistress insisted on taking me on a factory tour. It was not very fun. The only enjoyable part was when she stepped onto a nearby crate and began an impassioned speech praising the wonders of factories or something like that. It was hilarious seeing all those toffs applaud politely and smile at her. Just last night, she broke into my rum drawer and got extremely drunk. She also took me to a ball at the Windward company. I’ve worked with Tacketies in the past, so I was a bit uncomfortable. It’s amazing to me how much the captain just doesn’t care about politics. Is she trying to play both sides or something like that? I have no idea.


	3. The Black Box

22, May 1905

Arrived at Carillon. Devils aren’t so bad. The crew was annoyingly superstitious today, though. I’m fine with superstitions. I grew up by the docks after all, but not if it gets in the way of work. Our captain has visited here before. She wanted to visit the Garden of Insatiable Roses to get rid of the stains in her soul. I’m not too sure about that. Nothing wrong with having a stained soul, right?

I couldn’t go in after her. It was infuriating. I had to keep an eye on our Determined Scholar while she tried to interview patients. They did not want to be interviewed, by the way. Our captain came out pale and shaking. Then Determined leapt on her asking all sorts of questions. I could hardly pry her away. Then the Sly Mistress got all interested and ran off to some of the other gardens. I could hardly toss her over my shoulder, and the devils kept us separated somehow. I just got turned around whenever I tried to follow her. I finally found Sly Mistress and Determined Scholar wandering through the foyer with snarls in their hair. They looked very lost and fragile. I had to coax them back to the engine.

As if all that horror wasn’t bad enough, just after we’d pulled out of Carillon a corpse went spinning past a window. A junior signaller was traumatized. The captain stood up slowly. “I’ll get it,” she said. I tried to speak, but she held a hand up to silence me. “I’m getting my sky-suit.”

The crew is calm now, but I’m worried about the Sly Mistress. She’s going to have nightmares after this. I can’t help but feel responsible.

 

26, May 1905

I was right to be worried about her. Last night she woke up half the crew with her screams. She’s having horrible nightmares. I’ve moved my bunk into her room to help her sleep. She tries to stay awake as long as possible. Someone needs to make sure she sleeps and maybe give her a glass of warm milk and honey to keep the dreams sweet. When she heard I would do this for her, Mistress pulled me into a hug.

 

29, May 1905

In Lustrum now. Captain has accepted a job to hunt down London Dreadnoughts. She’s definitely trying to play both sides of the Winchester War. What an opportunist. It’s going to be trouble later.

Before we left to explore the town, we found some guy called Fortunate Navigator examining our engines. Apparently, the crew just let him waltz in. I’m going to have a talk with them about that later. His previous crew says he’s lucky. I hope so. We need all the luck we can get! We hired him on.

The Sly Mistress insisted on taking me out for tea at Murgatroyd’s. We had the Indulgence blend. I have to admit, it was pretty good. Also took on a job to check on some lost goods from London. I'm hoping we can just check the transit relay instead of actually going to London.

 

1, June 1905

Found an abandoned signal box. We went through the logbook there. Our Determined Scholar was ecstatic and took a lot of notes. She’s enthusiastic but lacks the sharp edges that most scholars have. Surface scholars sure are different than ours. How do they get any work done? She didn't try to steal the logbook or anything. Now that I think about it, she hasn't even asked us to fly into a ruin. I wonder if she's had her first death yet. I don't think she has. She signed on to my old engine as soon as she came up here and I'm damn good at keeping the crew alive.

 

5, June 1905

At Port Prosper. Delivered one cache of bronzewood and a gourd of chorister nectar to help some men build a clock tower. I have an official title now. I’m the ship’s Quartermaster. Unofficially, I’m the captain-wrangler. Also took on a passenger here. She wants to go to Traitor’s Wood and will pay us if we hunt chorister bees along the way and pry out some stingers.

We found the lost goods. They’d been held in the transit relay, but we got them back. I’ve secured them in the hold.

 

13, June 1905

The strangest battle happened today. We found a group of cantankeri attacking a London Dreadnought and a Tackety Scout. The two worked together to get rid of them. We helped too. Then the two ships turned on each other. Sly Mistress had us zipping across the battlefield looting the cantankeri corpses. We looted the Tackety Scout once it was destroyed. Then we turned right around and brought the Dreadnought out of the sky! Hah! We even found some paperwork on it that will let us go to Albion.

We swung by Magdalene’s and visited the Amenable Host. The Sly Mistress leaned into me a bit while she spoke to him. In the end, she told him the truth. That we couldn’t find anything conclusive. It was likely that all or none of the memories were his. He watched us quietly for a bit after that, but he seemed at peace. I think he liked the idea that he could choose for himself who he was.

Upon pulling out, we were swept into the Peacock Wind. I had to run around the hold for a bit since some of our foodstuffs started sprouting. All I had to do was pop the lids off a few crates and let it sprout over the sides. This is why you never store greenery in glass jars when you're on an engine. From now on, I’m going to mark crates with greenery inside in case this happens again. I’m glad we didn’t have any seeds with us.

 

16, June 1905

Stopped by the circus and picked up some sacks of seeds at the market. We now have everything to complete our shipping jobs. We just have to deliver the goods. Sly Mistress took me to another circus show. It’s funny. When we’re travelling, she walks about in rapture. She stares out the stained-glass windows and speaks as though her mind’s a million miles away. When we’re in port, she looks through every crack and cranny for excitement or something to do. I’d worry about verdancy if I didn’t already know what that looked like.

Today, she spoke with the circus master and offered her services as a lion tamer. It was awful. The poor lion looked bored, but I think she had fun cracking the whip in random directions. The lion took a nap while she played with it. Every now and then, she’d wave at me.

She spoke with the Ringmaster afterwards and tells me that she took on a job to get some props repaired in Port Avon. I tied the props together and put them in the hold. Our hold is packed. Half of it is trade goods, of course. We’re not doing that badly for ourselves. It looks pretty odd, though. I’ve got all the goods in the back. The captain’s mystery box is in the far corner along with the crates of munitions we bought specifically for trade. Those have to be in the back so nobody grabs them by mistake when they’re maintaining our guns. 

We’ve also discovered that our Incognito Princess is Queen Victoria’s daughter. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I wish I knew how starlings keep getting aboard though. I found one in her room today, half strangled from the void outside.

Our Determined Scholar spent her time looking for the cracks the starlings use to get in. She missed shore leave at Port Avon and was very disappointed when she realized this. At least she didn't pull a knife on me. Normally, scholars get a lot more stabby when they think you're getting in the way of their research. I bet they don't get anything done on the surface with wimpy scholars like that.

 

22, June 1905

We're in New Winchester. I visited Engineering and got some bronzewood plating installed. It looks beautiful. We also got a shiny new gun to replace our Jerusalem. It’s a Grimalkin. It looks long, lean and furious. Our Determined Scholar says it’s got a bible verse carved into it. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. Today it was because as soon as I left the engine, our captain took one of the munition crates (for trade!) and blew that stupid box of hers open. Inside, there’s a shade from the Blue Kingdom. The Sly Mistress asked it whether it should be taken back home or off to London. It wants to go to London. Then it started miming for her to close the lid. Thankfully, she shut it back in. I guess it really wants to stay out of the starlight. It knows that the stars shine on London, right? Anyways, our captain is off the walls with excitement. She’s poring through the previous captain’s notes right now, searching for more info on this shade.

That was so irresponsible of her. I can't believe it happened. I've been so impressed by the Determined Scholar's gentleness that I've forgotten about our captain's enthusiasm.

 

25, June 1905

Arrived in Port Avon. Sort of creepy here. Everything is just so green and cheerful. Hired on a Repentant Devil. I checked out the rumours of Tacketies in the mines here. They’re true. I managed to warn them off so they’ll be more careful in the future. Picked up a passenger looking to go to Traitor’s Wood, same as our other one. We tried to get the props fixed up, but the carpenter needs hairs from a chorister bee to do it properly.

Went for a nighttime visit to the ruins with our captain. She loved it. We even found some souls in coloured bottles.

We were out in the sky when I found that our newest officer had killed someone. But it was nobody I recognized. I don’t know how the victim got on the ship. Apparently, he’s being hunted down by someone. I wish our captain wasn’t so happy about that.


	4. Hunting and Trading

1, July 1905

We got a bit turned around while going to Titania. We ended up in these horrible ruins covered in sigils. The captain took us away, thank the gods. After that, we started hitting some well-wind turbulence. We shied away from it and that took us right into a scrive-spinster. I’ve just spent a few hours with some of the crew turning its remains into a hunting trophy for our captain. She wanted its insides all arranged on a board, but she wouldn’t do it herself. So she sat on a crate and explained in precise detail what we were supposed to be doing.

 

2, July 1905

Just discovered how screwed we are. We’re way too far away from Titania. There’s a massive cluster of land in the way and we have to go around it. Our locomotive isn’t built for flying over land masses. It’s far too dangerous. We had to turn back towards the well-winds. I secured the Princess’ luggage so it doesn’t go flying as the Rat Brigade did.

Glad I did since the captain took us into Old Tom’s Well. She and Incautious leaned over the lip of the well. They started talking about a murdered sun. Apparently, they could see its bones glimmering in the well. According to them, a messenger came and pretended to be nice, but it had some seed that killed the sun. Incautious thinks the fungus causing their verdancy wants to go back to the Nature Reserve now.

 

3, July 1905

Brought down some star-maddened explorers today and found three more barrels of coke. It’s good to have more fuel, but I’m concerned about the state of our supplies. We only have one crate left. If we can’t get to a port in time, things might get rough around here. We have to retrace our steps if we want to reach a port. Another massive landmass in our way when we were hoping for a passage.

 

5, July 1905

My captain woke up screaming in the middle of the night. I managed to calm her down with some tea and biscuits. She dreamed about a field of suns and couldn’t escape their light. I talked with her about the overflow valves until she relaxed. She’ll be okay. She’s tough.

 

6, July 1905

I think the Fortunate Navigator is lucky, after all. We had just cracked open the last crate of supplies in the kitchen. Just as the captain gave the orders for half-rations, a debris field came into view. We scavenged a crate of food. Hopefully, we’ll make it to port okay.

 

8, July 1905

We need to find some way to repair our hull soon. We got a chorister bee trophy today. And no, the chorister bees didn’t help our ‘low hull problem.’ We lost a crewmember while trying to harvest nectar from the corpses. At least that’s one fewer mouth to feed.

 

10, July 1905

Reached port today. Not Titania, but the Nature Reserve. I’m glad I didn’t have to get the knives out, that’s for sure. But we’re still in trouble. Our locomotive is badly damaged and if we lose one more crewmember, we’ll have to go at half-speed.

The Sly Mistress rustled up some work with the researchers here. She can find jobs anywhere. We also took Incautious deep into the reserve. They found some enormous tree and lay in front of it. The captain and I stayed far away since the tree was covered in verdant fungus. It's fine for Incautious, since they’re already infected, but I don’t want to come down with verdancy. Good thing I stayed back because the tree covered them in green spores. They were awful disappointed. The fungus wanted more from them. I took them back to the Nature Reserve and arranged baths for all of us. I don’t want spores getting on our engine.

 

14, July 1905

Went right past Titania to get to New Winchester for engine repairs. Also hired some crew. Feeling much better now.

Incautious says that their verdancy wants them to go find another spore out there. Apparently, a spore is exploring instead of coming back.

 

19, July 1905

Back in Titania. Took the captain to an art gallery. Thought she’d like it. The whole thing was ruined when the crew caught wind of my plans and tagged along. All nine of them. Not including the officers. Tired. Going to bed.

 

23, July 1905

The Sly Mistress will be the death of me. We came across an abandoned homestead today. Normally, this would be great and I’d send the crew in to strip the place clean, but today the Sly Mistress remembered that some scientists from the Nature Reserve wanted some ants. I had to get a glass tank out of storage (I make sure the hold has crates/barrels/tanks made of different materials exactly because of stuff like this) and dig up the gardens with some of the crew. And now we have ants on the engine. That tank better not break.

 

26, July 1905

In New Winchester today. Despite our passengers that want to go to Traitor’s Wood, we’re heading for Lustrum. We have two things to drop off there. First is the lost package that we got from the transit relay. Second is the remaining crate of munitions. I want to get it delivered before the captain can do anything completely stupid with it.

She bought a mining array today. Its good quality, but we had to get rid of canning station to fit it in. There’s just not enough room for both of them. “We need a bigger engine,” the Sly Mistress hissed between her teeth. We can’t afford that, though. Maybe in a few months. We put the canning station in the bank.

 

28, July 1905

In Port Avon again to drop off my captain’s hunting trophies. They were horrified by the scrive-spinster trophy and put it in the back. They threw a rug over it for good measure. Babies. I remember when I was a child working at the docks. I used to meet the occasional hunter going off looking for spider councils. They liked the chorister bee trophy a lot more and nailed it to the wall.

 

29, July 1905

Found a cantankeri just outside of Port Avon and gunned it down. Scooped the remains up to try to glue together again as a hunting trophy. We’re heading back to Port Avon to hand into the hunting club there. Never thought I’d be glad to have pots of glue on hand, but there you go. Can never be too prepared.

The hunting club wants to use it as their centrepiece. Then the old toffs made some excuses about how nobody had died recently so there wasn’t actually an opening for a new member. The Sly Mistress was happy though.

 

31, July 1905

Found another signal box. Our Determined Scholar pored through the ledger. I always get so sad seeing these signal boxes. Something about them just tethered and wasting away like they are.


	5. Into the Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow I accidentally posted this chapter on the wrong story entirely and it ended up in Song of the Skies. Because in many ways, I am a dolt. It was meant to go here. Thanks to CandlesInTheWell for their lovely comment which helped me notice the mistake I'd made. :D Unfortunately, their original comment was deleted when I fixed the error, but it was very nice.

7, August 1905

Was an awful journey – low on hull – but we made it to Lustrum and managed to complete our jobs. Even managed to find a fence there to buy another crate of munitions to replace the one my captain used to crack open that awful box of hers.

I’m glad we delivered the lost goods before taking my captain for tea because one of the maids said they had been mixing the tea leaves with mud to make it last. Gross. We had the Eleutharian Gold, which was probably a mistake because it made us very dizzy. We had to lean on each other while we waited to feel our legs again. We spent an hour sitting together in a corner of the tea shop laughing and talking. I admit that wasn’t so bad. The Sly Mistress is heavier than she looks, though. She smells like wildflowers.

After we left the shop, we came across a wounded man being pulled on a sledge. Took him into the pub to give him some booze for the pain and popped his arm back into its socket. Couldn’t do much about the broken legs though. We need to get some medical supplies. The Sly Mistress was impressed for some reason and latched onto my arm while we walked back to the engine.

 

11, August 1905

Stopped at Carillon on our way to New Winchester for engine repairs. We hope to go to Traitor’s Wood afterwards to drop off our passengers, but who knows how that will go.

The Sly Mistress and I found a shrine to some horrible creature. It gave me the creeps, but my captain seemed to like it. Her eyes got all wide and she stroked the stone. For some reason, I had to tamp down on a bit of jealousy. Ridiculous.

Then she helped out a Rubbery in the Checkerboard Garden. She came back all twinkly-eyed. “I like to help people too,” she told me. I had no idea what was going on, so I told her she’d done a good job. What did she mean ‘too’? Was she trying to impress me? What an odd girl.

 

14, August 1905

Back in New Winchester. Good to have the engine patched up. Took on a job to deliver some hours to the circus. We already have the goods, since we did some mining on our way here. One day we’ll drop off our passengers at Traitor’s Wood, but not today.

 

17, August 1905

Returned the repaired props to the magician at the Circus. Next, the Ringmaster wants us to get some costumes for the clown’s geese. There’s a guy in Port Avon who should be able to make them. Honestly, I can’t wait to see what geese costumes look like.  Also sold the hours to the Ringmaster. He plans on using them to increase his lifespan. He wants a long retirement. I’m not sure if I’d use hours that way. I can’t think of people using hours without getting damn pissed at the way the Stovepipes use them in their factories. It’s awful what they do to the children in those places.

We stopped by a homestead for dinner. It was nice sitting by the fire with my captain.

 

25, August 1905

A fierce battle with some marauders today. We snuck up on them and picked them off one at a time. When we were alone, the Sly Mistress curled up against me and we swapped childhood stories. I told her about my time running through the Docks as a young boy listening to the stories of sea captains. She told me that she had had the good fortune to inherit all of her family’s vices. “Blood will out,” she said. There was a dark, pleased look in her eyes. Somehow, this doesn’t surprise me. I never thought I’d care so much for someone so. I don’t even know how to finish the sentence. Can’t call her a toff. Rich? High class? Crazy? Is that even a surprise?

 

1, September 1905

Found a port here in Traitor’s Wood. Confusingly enough, the port shares the name with the area at large. The Sly Mistress and I saw a campfire with some Summerset banners and she got really excited. We went over and they told us they would only talk to scholars. The Sly Mistress made a furious hissing noise and snapped out the names of her published papers. They were mostly about the correspondence, I think. I didn’t understand a lick of it, but the other scholars were pretty impressed. The three scholars are researching the legends about a sleeping king here and are trying to find his grave. They got their funding cut. My captain rolled her eyes at that and said, “They always cut the funding of the most interesting experiments!”

The last thing they found was a paper written in the correspondence. It had directions to the Steward’s Font. As soon as they said that, the Sly Mistress’ eyes lit up. Think we’ve found our next job. We spoke to all of them alone and heard their theories. My captain doesn’t think any of them are right. “This is a new place,” she exclaimed while waving her arms about. “We need to let go of the old legends and find new ones!”

Dropped off our settler and let the other passenger (a cryptozoologist) loose. She immediately shot some poor sod with a tranquillizer and darted off into the trees. I give her two days before something eats her.

Incautious Driver said that they’d been here once but they don’t remember why. They said something about a king and his cup.


	6. Bones and Fungi

1, September 1905

Sly Mistress came into our room tonight all twinkly-eyed. She’d been talking with the Rat Brigade and managed to get them to open up about some things. Their old Sargent left them some stuff when he died. They have some of the account number needed to open the vault, but they don’t know where the vault is. They have to find the rest of their old crew to get the rest of the account number. They think there’s a lead in Carillon and are hoping that we’ll stop there. Personally, I find it annoying that all these officers have a personal quest they want to accomplish. Whatever happened to traveling for fun and profit, huh? The Sly Mistress laughed when I told her this. She patted my cheek and said, “You’re such a silly man. Adventures like these make it fun. Now, come to bed.”

It’s not important, but I’m wondering if we need two separate beds in here. Half the time I crawl into bed with her and hold her so she actually falls asleep instead of pacing all night. I swear she’s like a kid sometimes. The other half of the time, she just tucks against me when I’m sleeping. It might be a good idea to just scrap one of the beds so we have more room in our cabin. Maybe fit in another bookshelf. She likes books.

 

4, September 1905

Found Regent’s Tears in the woods. Such a beautiful waterfall, but I could do without the bees. There are three hives of the damn things here. I guess it’s a good place for them here. Lots of flowers and things in these woods.

 

7, September 1905

Defeated another star-maddened ship and the captain decided to take on one of the survivors. They’re not mad, but it’s still annoying. It worries the crew when this happens. I know that our captain likes being around crazy people, but do we need to keep doing this? Now she wants to go back to the port in these woods for some reason. Something about having enough crew now? I don’t like the sound of it, but she just snickers when I ask what she’s up to.

 

9, September 1905

Sometimes I regret being on this engine. The Sly Mistress is taking us into the Wood’s Deep to explore. She’s convinced there’s something hidden in there. Even our Determined Scholar isn’t sure about this. The only people not going are the crewman we got from the star-maddened ship and the Rat Brigade. Hopefully, we won’t come back to a wrecked engine. I’ve got everything set. Supplies are divided evenly between us all. We have to bring along some fuel, of course. We’ll need to start fires to cook and keep back any beasts at night. I’m glad I have so many storage containers on hand. We’re going to be looking for Stewards Font for those Summerset scholars.

Started out well. Rested us all in a ravine of some sort. I’m glad the captain is at least being smart about this, although that might be my influence. That’s what the Fortunate Navigator says, but I’m not sure if I believe him.

 

10, September 1905

Came across a bog, but we heard the reeds calling our names. I convinced the captain that it would be better to find another route, so we went around it. Took all day, but we finally found a glade that looked like a good place to go. It wasn’t. The damn trees started whispering to us. I could have handled that since I didn’t know most of the languages they were using. What I couldn’t handle was the Discordance and the Correspondence. Those trees wanted to mock us in horrible languages so badly that they nearly ripped themselves apart with the Discordance and set themselves on fire with Correspondence. The Sly Mistress took my hand when one of the trees went up in flames two feet away from me. I may have flinched, which is so embarrassing.

We did find Steward’s Font, though. It’s a cavern of some sort. There’s navaratine gemstone studded-bronzewood covering the walls. Starlight reflects off the gems and lights up the whole place. It’s beautiful.

In the back, the Sly Mistress found a silver seal as big as a Stovepipe’s hat and a curved sword with Correspondence etched into it. We didn’t want to move the sword, because it’s dangerous taking treasure from places like this. She made a rubbing of the sigils. I couldn’t stop her from taking the seal.

I’m impressed. Nobody died.

 

12, September 1905

Stopped by Port Avon on the way to New Winchester. We’re going to get a better engine. I can’t wait to see it. We picked up the geese costumes. It’s a tiny three-piece suit and ballgown. It’s everything I ever wanted. The Sly Mistress was just as delighted as I was. We stopped by the pub and hired on a blemmigan. Honestly, once my captain saw it, there was no stopping her. It grunted at her but climbed to the bar top to stare at me. I stared back. Most people don’t like it when I stare at them because of my eyes, but the blemmigan liked what it saw. It clambered onto my shoulder. Sly Mistress clapped her hands and said, “Oh, it’ll be so good for you to have a pet! I’m so happy for you.”

It’s not a pet. It’s just a small fungus that’s going to stay with me and I’ll look after it. That’s all.

 

16, September 1905

Back in New Winchester. Today has been insane. I’ve been so busy transporting everything onto the new engine and getting it organized. We’re now in a Pellinore-Class Trader named Zahir. It’s got a larger hold and enough room for the mining array and the canning station, but we had to let two crew go since there’s just not enough room for them anymore. They didn’t complain too much. I inspected the piping and was pleased with what I saw. The Sly Mistress is in our cabin (we officially moved all my stuff in, not just my cot) making sure the decorations are up to scratch. The Grizzled Blemmigan rides on my shoulder sometimes when I’m inspecting things. It’s good because it doesn’t want me to talk at it all the time. I’m not much of a talker.

 

23, September 1905

Found the wreck of the Parzifal today. Some enormous ship ripped open with fungus. My captain saw the wreck and went, “We simply must go inside!” because she has no instinct at all for personal safety. I know that it was the first engine to go into the High Wilderness and it’s a big mystery what happened to it, but I don’t care. Unfortunately, the captain does.

I put together a group that I reasoned would be good dealing with fungus and who-knows-what. Incautious, Repentant Devil, Lucky Navigator and the Determined Scholar came along. Also, a few crewmen who weren’t too scared of fungus. Of course, there was no keeping the captain away. After some thought, I also brought my mother’s harpoon. I got a lot of strange looks from the crew, but I don’t think anyone recognized it for what it was. The Sly Mistress might’ve. It’s hard to tell because her eyes just skipped over it, but I’ve learned not to underestimate her.

We cracked open the door and a rush of spores came out, which I torched. We went into the captain’s cabin first and went through the logs. Determined Scholar pocketed the logbook, and I pretended not to notice. Last entry said they brought something aboard. We could hear some faint music.

Found a bunch of science-fiction novels in the armoury along with those old sky-suits. Made me all nostalgic until I realized they were full of fungus. Some of the crew liked the old designs more, but there’s a reason we don’t use outdated equipment. I like the newer suits more. They’re sturdier and much warmer.

We had to get through a massive fungus wall to see the rest of the engine. It was very easy to cut through it with the harpoon. It’s been a while since I’ve held it and I forgot how sharp the damn thing is. It shivered the way it does when cutting through flesh. Found nothing of note in the crew’s cabins. Apparently, they loved their captain and were planning a retirement surprise. Rare to see a crew that loyal.

My captain insisted on going alone into the engine room. The path there was blocked with dangling sacs and a haze of orange-gold spores. I wanted to say something to make her stay behind with me, or even just go back to our engine and get away from this place, but I couldn’t think of anything. Especially with the crew there. And the officers. I had to watch her creep into the haze of spores. After she stepped into the haze, I couldn’t even see her silhouette. This was all made worse by the music coming out of that haze. Some gramophone was in there playing or something. Felt like it was mocking me.

Some time later, she came out of the haze carrying something on her back. I stared at it for a full second before realizing it was some poor fungus-riddled person. Even the Incautious Driver winced. I helped her carry him back to our engine, crew muttering nervously.

Apparently, that man is Lt. Commander Percy Blythe. He’s been alive all this time. He met the Children (probably verdance fungus) on Hybras and his whole crew got infected there. Mother (I’m assuming the verdance-fungus tree that spored them all) sent them out to learn but told them not to go into Traitor’s Wood. Naturally, they tried to get to the port in Traitor’s Wood. He learned about some cruel king who needed but didn’t like his subjects, even though they loved him. He brought some of the fungi aboard his ship to show it off to the crew, and it took over. It grew too quickly and accidentally tore the ship open and caused some explosions. He says he wants to go back to London, but the Sly Mistress doubts they’d welcome him back with open arms and I can’t help but agree. They’d probably throw him in a hole somewhere. We’re going to help him finish his last mission and find the port in Traitor’s Wood.

I have to admit, it is pretty noble. In some ridiculous romantic kind of way. Like out of a shitty book. I don’t read those kinds of books, so I wouldn’t know. And it’s not out of our way. We’re trying to get to this port too. I have Percy Blythe in his own room. The Incautious Driver is the only one to go in there, and only to try feeding him or giving him some water. I’m not sure if he needs it, but it can’t hurt. Incautious says he reacts well when you trickle some water down his throat and that he’s not shivering as much, so we must be doing something right.


	7. Clumsy When Frightened

1, October 1905

Arrived in Traitor’s Wood to drop off Percy. It was the woodcutter’s day off, so I got them to point me towards some scrap bronzewood for engine repairs. They didn't want to touch it because it came from whispering trees, but I couldn't hear anything so I set the crew to work.

Also got the Sly Mistress to compare her correspondence translations (from the weapon in Steward's Font) with one of the scholar's translations. She thought they were wrong and smirked horribly. She wants to find ‘The Giggling Place.’ Apparently, that’s our next clue.

We also set Percy Blythe loose in the woods. He managed to stand up and get off the engine himself. Incautious was the only one who wanted to see him off with the captain and me. Percy gave us his medallions and strode off into the wood. He looked stronger than ever. The trees bowed as he passed them. I hope he finds whatever he’s looking for in there. The Sly Mistress was so moved that she clung to my arm and wept. Incautious grinned at me when they saw that and waggled their eyebrows.

I think they’ve got a pool going on whether or not the captain and I will get together. Which is ridiculous. And very unprofessional. It’d be bad to put a stop to it, though. I wouldn’t want to lower morale.

The Sly Mistress helped me find a good bargain. Apparently, some academic moron spent their entire research budget on tea and was desperately trying to sell it off. The Sly Mistress nodded sympathetically. “Oh, I once had that problem with lead tablets. And knives.”

With all that tea, the Sly Mistress hatched a plan to draw our more secretive officers out of their shells. “Don’t you want to know everything about them?” she asked. “Their hopes, their dreams, their stories?”

“No,” I said. Sometimes, my opinions don’t matter.

Had tea with the Fortunate Navigator. He grew up the servant of the Eagle Khan’s ambassador to London. He made friends with the ambassador’s son, Altan. He never got to attend the funeral when Altan died and he wants to go to London to say his goodbyes and speak with his old friend’s parents. I thought that he put a lot of sugar in his tea until the Sly Mistress brought the Repentant Devil in to chat.

He used up two gourds of chorister nectar. She asked about people who might send assassins after him and he gave us a list of friends. Apparently, the two can get pretty close when you’re as old as he is. Fair enough, I guess. We should see them in Carillon, London and the Well of the Wolf.

Anyways, I’m not happy with all these officers trying to wheedle favours out of my captain. Sly Mistress giggled and rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m having fun,” she said. Then she got an odd, smoky look in her eyes. “Would it make you feel better if we went to the Nature Reserve? You can get those ants out of the hold.”

She’s a tricky one. I agreed. It would be nice to not have to scrape vegetable peelings into a glass tank every night. I’m always worried that some moron will bump into it and set the ants loose.

 

2, October 1905

We found a colony of hunting pardoner-eels while flying through the woods today. Incautious brought us right into them and I got some of the crew to put on their sky-suits. Thankfully, the captain stayed behind. It was the only reason I felt comfortable enough to bring the harpoon out again. They weren’t full grown, so the crew scooped them out of the sky with weighted nets. I stood on the engine, watching the sky-beasts dart around me.

I used the harpoon just like my mother showed me. I jabbed it forward and hooked one right out of the sky and brought it in. It was pretty easy to hold the squirming creature under my boot and stab through the spine. I always get sort of nostalgic when using my mother’s old harpoon. I remember when she went out to get it. It feels good to use it again. Makes me feel closer to her. I’ve taken to hiding the harpoon under the bed. The Sly Mistress never cleans. I don’t think she’ll find it. I don’t think she knows what it really is. Why does that make me feel a little guilty?

 

3, October 1905

Stopped by in Port Avon to resupply. We’re going to try charting a new route to the Nature Reserve. The captain and I are both unsettled today. Last night we both dreamt of the storm that speaks. We ended up clinging to each other until morning.

 

8, October 1905

A frozen corpse spun past our window and some idiotic signaller panicked. Now the crew wants to jettison a crate of supplies to appease the dead. And the captain agreed to it! Infuriating. The crew may be happy, but I’m not.

 

10, October 1905

Everyone is on edge. Everyone is clumsy. There was a disaster in the hold today. One of the hour barrels spilt over and cracked geodes rolled all over the floor. I restricted access to the hold and sent two people in to gather them up. They came out 30 minutes later, but I’m pretty sure two days passed for them. Hopefully, that will make them remember to be more careful. The Repentant Devil hid a smile behind his hand when he heard me give the order.

 

12, October 1905

Finally here at the Nature Reserve. Handed in those ants and the chorister bee wings, thank goodness. I’m so glad they’re off the engine. We didn’t get him Hybras pus though and he ran off to experiment before we realized this. I hope we didn’t ruin anything by forgetting the pus.

I joined some hunters today (left the harpoon behind) and we brought back a caged catch of some sort. It’s some snarling, furry beast. The Sly Mistress squealed happily when she saw it. I put it in the hold. I’ll feed it scraps of meat until we can sell it at New Winchester, which is where we’re headed next. We could all use a break.

 

15, October 1905

We’re back in New Winchester. I can’t speak for the rest of the crew, but I feel much better now that we have some new engine upgrades. We went into the walls of the engine and converted some of the piping into plumbing. We have actual plumbing now. Hot water. Cold water. Flushing toilets. We squeezed more people into the cabins. People are willing to put up with closer quarters if they’ve got actual toilets. It’s a luxury on engines, that’s for sure. We also got a better canning station. It’s sleeker and more compact. It’s got some drawers for storage space as well.

 

17, October 1905

Came across a wreck today. We tried to do some looting, but halfway through the wreck broke apart. We lost two people and the crew was pretty scared by this. Luckily, we’re already on our way to Magdalene’s.

 

19, October 1905

The crew is relaxing here in Magdalene's. The Sly Mistress and I stopped by to see the Amenable Host. I’m glad we told him the truth earlier. I think he’s doing pretty well. We had a lot of fun talking to him. Bit of an ego, but the Repentant Devil has gotten me used to dealing with big egos. The Amenable Host even smiled! I wonder if he knows that the Sly Mistress is still crazy. Either he let her go anyways or she actually was crazier before. Either way, it doesn’t really matter. They’re friends.

I took the Mistress to the Blythe Bar. We laughed, talked and drank starshine-tinted brandy. It really was incredible. Well, not incredible. We had a nice time. It was fun. Sometimes her eyes got really bright and it was hard to look at her for too long, but not in a bad way. Maybe I’m coming down with something. We’re going to find Hybras next. I should focus on that.


	8. Changes in the Reach

28, October 1905

I really hate Hybras. The whole place is the worst. What a miserable colony. Who thought it was a great idea to build a colony in the middle of some fungal marshes? Have we learned nothing from the Uttershroom? Most of the crew didn’t even want to come off the engine for shore leave. We did our work quickly. First, we picked up some filmmaker called Mme. Lumiere.

Next, we sent out to search for a downed Tackety engine. It took hours, but we managed to help their crew. Their engine was slowly sinking into the marsh, I think. We had to carry out all the unconscious people and their supplies.

 

30, October 1905

Found some horrible thing called Faith’s Fall today. One of the signalers thinks it’s a dead messenger of the heavens. Told her to knock it off and signal the wreck we found floating nearby instead. We saved a survivor from that wreck. And that's why you stay reasonable instead of losing yourself to superstitions.

 

2, November 1905

Found the Eleutharia transit relay. I looked at the captain very sternly until she sighed and turned the engine around.

 

7, November 1905

An engineer swore that she saw a star wink out today. The captain tried to set a watch on the stars, despite my warnings, and we lost two people to star madness. I had to relieve them of duty and lock them in a room.

 

10, November 1905

At the Circus to hand in the goose costumes now. We tried to hire some more crew, but that obelisk was working against us. We’ll have to see if we can find people at New Winchester later. I like having more crew than we really need aboard the ship. That way when someone dies, it’s not that much of a loss.

The clown was damn well pleased with the costumes. He even did a trick for us. The Ringmaster said that the acrobat’s twin had run away again, but his cards said he was in trouble this time. We can find him at the Nature Reserve. Hope he hasn’t been eaten alive by beasts.

We went for a show at the big top and I was surprised to see that our help is actually improving the acts. The Sly Mistress smiled even wider and laughed even louder than the last time we were here. I have to admit, it makes all this running around worth it.

 

12, November 1905

Arrived in New Winchester today to find the whole place in an uproar. Tacketies are burning stovepipe hats in the gardens. The Windward Company has abandoned New Winchester! They’ve run off to Port Prosper to lick their wounds. What a stroke of luck. It’s so hard to believe. I spent three years fighting for the Tacketies. Two years after I leave, they go ahead and win. It’s so strange. I never actually thought that we’d win. London is just so big.

I ended up sitting on a rooftop with the Sly Mistress sharing a bottle of cheap booze. We took turns throwing pebbles onto people’s hats. It was her idea, not mine. Normally it’s not the kind of thing I’d do, but it’s nice to unwind now and then. Her eyes shone in the starlight. It was cold, so we huddled together under a blanket. I couldn’t help but lean against her. She’s just so warm. She’s like a damn furnace.

I found myself mentioning my mother, which is strange because I never talk about her. I can’t even blame the booze. My tolerance isn’t that low. All I told her was that my mother left me her harpoon when she’d died.

The Sly Mistress rested her head against my shoulder. “Oh, yes. I think I’ve seen that somewhere. You’re very good with it.”

“No, I’m not,” I said.

She only smiled and said, “Okay.”

She didn’t press me for any more information. I’m such an idiot. I had a clear out, and I ended up telling her more just to fill the silence. I grunted out that my mother had been a monster hunter and waited for her to recoil. She didn’t. She just nestled closer to me and told me about her brothers and sisters. She’s got four of them. They all work in the family business, whatever that is. I was an only child. It was good to not be judged. Even in the High Wilderness, people are wary of those connected to monster hunters. People really do still dread them, you know. That’s why I keep it a secret. I’m not sure why I told her, but I trust her.

 

13, November 1905

Had a nightmare. Dreamt of the time my mother came back from a visit to the Chelonate with a barrel of oily, rotten flesh. She had me taste a bit. It was the first time she’d brought home zee-beast flesh for me. That wasn’t what the nightmare was about. The nightmare was about the cravings I’d get afterwards. Couldn’t help but wake the Sly Mistress accidentally with my mumbling. She stroked my hair until I fell asleep again.

 

18, November 1905

In Carillon now. We asked the Presiding Deviless about the stuff for the Rat Brigade. In the will, it says that we need to undergo a penance first. We need a shift in perspective. The Sly Mistress sauntered off to get that. I insisted she bring the Rat Brigade along. I’m not sure if it did them any good, but they looked almost contrite when they came back. We’ve got the location of the vault now. It’s at Hallidge’s Bank in London. Honestly, that’s not much of a surprise. I suppose their old Sarge could have stashed it somewhere else, but keeping it in London makes the most sense. They say that the account number will probably be in Perdurance. Wilma (one of their old crew) will know it. She’s a pet now. They did not seem happy about that.

Next, we introduced the Repentant Devil to the Presiding Devilless, as he wanted. He pulled out this three-volume manuscript set on flavouring souls (or something like that), but she just sniffed at it. She said they used more modern techniques now. For some reason, this outraged my captain and she insisted that the Deviless give the Repentant Devil a chance to prove that he knew his stuff. I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to come back here without being shot at. 

We set him loose in the Garden of Insatiable Roses. I’m no expert when it comes to these things, but he left the penitents howling so he must have been doing something right. The Deviless huffed when she saw what he was doing, but she didn’t seem to be angry. He was damned happy about it and thanked my captain in his usual tactful manner.

Afterwards, he said something about being able to work with me if he turned my ribs to glass and talked in a satisfied daze for a bit. I talked with him alone for a bit. According to him, he created the original methods of soul purification they use in Carillon. He thinks the people at Carillon are incompetent. They’re not doing it properly. He says they’re not sorting each soul according to its judgement.

 

21, November 1905

Arrived in Lustrum to sell some goods. Caught the crew muttering about turning the Rat Brigade into earmuffs. Scolded them thoroughly. My captain laughed. I’m starting to think the crew think of me as the mean one. I don’t mind. Honestly, it suits me.

Took the Sly Mistress out for tea again. We had the Empress’ Favour this time. It was alright. I like the Indulgence blend most. Mistress likes the Eleutharian Gold most. “It makes you tipsy!” she said. “It’s the only thing I’ve found that makes you tipsy.”

I told her that it wasn’t very nice to try getting me drunk. Why would she even do that?

She only grinned and leaned closer. “Inhibitions are lowered when you’re drunk. You have far too many inhibitions, you know.” Then she smirked and sauntered away. I had no idea what just happened. I only knew that my stomach was all fluttery again. Maybe I should look for some medical supplies while I’m here.

We tried to climb the mountain to find the Singing Caves, but couldn’t manage it. We’ll come back when we’re more experienced.

 

23, November 1905

A corpse spun past the window. We doubled back and picked it up to appease the crew. They’re glad to be carrying a lost soul home.

 

27, November 1905

Arrived in Port Prosper. We’re trying to decide whether or not to visit London. We handed in a bunch of Tackety nameplates to the Parsimonious Chairman and he has another job for us. He has a really oily smile. Disgusting. It’s just a honey delivery to someone in New Winchester. I don’t trust him, but I don’t see the harm in this.

Sly Mistress took me to another ball that the Windward Company was throwing. How do they have the time for so many parties? We spent our time chatting with the servants.

We planned out our new route. We’re headed to Magdalene’s, then New Winchester and Lustrum. Then, maybe to London. All the ruins we keep seeing scattered around are making my captain long for some assaying equipment. She used to go on lots of expeditions into the Forgotten Quarter, so she’s experienced with that sort of thing.

 

1, December 1905

Nearly at Magdalene’s. Perfect time for it, too. The Repentant Devil dragged me aside today and pointed out a crewwoman in his cabin. She was going through his books and cutting out words to group into clusters. “Deal with this, please,” he said.

I took a peek at the words she’d cut out. She was grouping words like ‘light,’ ‘law,’ and ‘conjunction.’ I committed them to memory (Mistress would be interested) and pulled her up. I sent her back to work. It’s the best thing when dealing with this kind of thing. She’s less efficient now and ruined some coke (somehow…) when refilling the engine, but the obsession is starting to fade.

I commended the Devil for not snapping her neck and he smiled thinly. I think he was amused.

 

5, December 1905

In New Winchester. Dropped off Mme. Lumiere. She’s invited us to her premiere, which was nice. Tried to deliver the honey, but couldn’t even get to the recipient because a rally was in the way. We’ll have to report back, the captain says. Took on a Pernickety Factor looking for vanished people in Hybras.

Slight reroute. We’re headed to Port Avon to drop off some bronzewood.

 

14, December 1905

Found the Grave of the Silent Saint and killed our first curator. Everyone was very excited until we accidentally bumped up against the body. It spiralled off into a gust of wind and blew away. We could only watch the corpse fly away, in horrified astonishment. We didn’t get to loot it. The Determined Scholar nearly broke down in tears. She thought she saw it hiding something beneath its wings. We’ll never know unless we can find and kill another one.

 

17, December 1905

My captain and I huddled together in our room swapping secrets. She told me that she had once been to a secret symposium called ‘A Forensic Assessment of the Sun’s Remains.’ She showed me the coded letters that she sends to a few other academics.

I hesitated a moment, then pulled out my notched bone harpoon from under the bed. She trailed her fingers against it. I told her about the day my mother left her humanity behind to become a monster hunter. I was pretty young, but I remember it so clearly. She’d sold her dog and kissed me goodbye. It was the last kiss I ever got from her. A week later, I found her body bumping against the shoreline. No one else would go near her since the water around her steamed and boiled. It took her a few months to recover from the ordeal, but it had sharpened her. Although everyone else was scared of her now, I could see that she still loved me. I could see her love hidden in the depths of her peligin-stained eyes.

The Sly Mistress nuzzled up against my neck in thanks. I had the wildest urge to kiss her, so I did the obvious thing. I gripped her arms tightly and forced some space between us. She only laughed, shook her head and smiled coquettishly.


	9. Lights of London

18, December 1905

The plan is to go to the Circus to get a new sky-bat from Mr. Menagerie and then go to London.

 

22, December 1905

Came across a homestead today. They were celebrating a wedding, and we joined in. We danced and ate cake. The matriarch laughed and said that she had no idea why her daughter liked the groom so much, but she was happy for them. The Incautious Driver sidled up to me and grinned. “Remember that bet going around about you and the captain?” they asked. I scowled at them. “If you two get together before the end of March, I win the pool.” They waggled their eyebrows at me.

I told them that would be unprofessional and she didn’t like me that way anyways.

They laughed. “You’re hopeless,” they told me. I considered pushing them into the cake. Or maybe off the homestead.

 

23, December 1905

We got a Star-Smitten Bat from Mr. Menagerie. It’s got white fur and burbles cheerfully. It’s a bit shy, though and it’s got eyes like dying stars. Some of the crew don’t like to look into its eyes. I don’t mind it. The Sly Mistress loves it. It spends most of its time perched in her hat, peeking out from the flowers.

 

25, December 1905

We were caught by the Peacock Wind and it infected our hold. Oozing nodules are growing on the food now. I cut them off and put them in a separate pile. The crew doesn’t really want to eat them, but I don’t care. They’ve got a weird texture, but they taste sweet and probably aren’t poisonous.

 

28, December 1905

First encounter with the Guests. I hate them so much. Stupid wriggling creatures.

 

2, January 1906

I remember now why relays are annoying. First, there’s the paperwork, then the customs check. I hate government cronies rifling through my hold looking for contraband. They mess up everything. At least we got to travel first class. We’re in Albion now and headed straight for London.

 

6, January 1906

We’re in London. We started by looking for the verdant fragment with Incautious. They wandered around sniffing at the air like a hound. They couldn’t find anything though. I think the verdant fragment is somewhere else, but it was a good try.

Next, the Fortunate Navigator wanted the captain and me to vouch for him at the ambassador’s house. He wanted me to be there too. People seem to think the captain and I are joined at the hip, which is not true. We just like going places together. Anyways, the poor boy was nervous so I went along. He didn’t need to be, because his old friend’s mother was happy to see him. She brought us all into her drawing room. She made us the tea herself (the Sly Mistress said it was more meaningful than letting the servants do it). The Navigator asked to borrow a key to pay his respects. The woman looked mortified, but I don’t think the Navigator was too embarrassed about it.

Sly Mistress’ eyes glinted. I tried to pull her away, but she just did that boneless thing that cats do when they don’t want to be picked up. The Matriarch gave him a key and then started fussing. She even got a bit angry at us because she thought Navigator looked a bit thin. “Are they feeding you?” she asked, mouth set in a thin line.

What sort of engine does she think we’re running? I would have said something very rude to her if my captain hadn’t pinched me. It was sad seeing Navigator crumple inwards though. He sort of wilted. The Matriarch only let us leave once he’d promised to write and visit again soon.

The Sly Mistress wanted to find one of her academic friends, so we went to the Jubilation Day festival to find them. She bought me a bag of rubbery lumps. I ate them to be polite. They’re not made of the right meat up here. We waited for my captain’s friend until one in the morning. The Sly Mistress frowned a bit when she realized that her friend hadn’t shown up. I think she’s worried. “Of course I am,” she assured me when I asked. “About my research. How am I supposed to get my research if she doesn’t give it to me?” At least she’s consistent.

We did some snooping around near the University and talked to a lot of my captain’s old acquaintances. They were all shocked that she was a captain now, glad that she wasn’t at the university anymore and a bit snooty towards me. Anyways, the house of the woman we’re looking for was burned down.

We went to the address of the ruin. Some homeless men told us the fire had burned blue. It had been boarded up, but we broke in to explore a bit. We found tatters of some old papers and the Sly Mistress thinks that we have a new lead. Spatchcocker Meg and Bedevilled Didact. They had been helping her old friend with some important work. We’ll see if we can track them down.

Next, we delivered that black box to a house without windows. We were greeted by a blind butler, who yammered about how happy he was to get their latest resident and said that everything had been prepared already for the convalescence. I have no idea what will happen to that shade. I hope he’ll be okay.

We bought an assaying station but had to put the mining equipment in the bank to fit it to the engine. We also put the Diffident Bat in the bank. It was okay with this. Somehow.

Just outside the station, we found Bully’s Acre. They just put the dead poor in coffins and toss them out to float, here. Despicable. That being said, we did break open a coffin. Wasn’t doing him any good, anyways.


	10. Brabazon Workworld

8, January 1906

I was a bit concerned about the Fortunate Navigator. He’s been sticking to other people like glue. He’s trying to avoid being alone. I’ve seen behaviour like that before. It’ll be bad for morale if he goes crazy or something, so I cornered him. He brought out a book called ‘Epic of King Gesar’ that his old friend, Altan, used to read to him. Navigator made a promise to his friend when they were children. He promised that they’d have adventures together, but his friend never got to leave home. Navigator wants to steal his friend’s body from Eleutharia and take him along. He seems to think that I can help him with this. I’m not sure why. Normally people ask the captain for these kinds of favours.

We recruited a new officer today in the Bit Between. A Clay Conductor with an urn. He approached the captain and me and said that we could perform funeral rites. There aren’t many clay men up here, and I was pretty surprised. I think he’ll be useful, though. The Sly Mistress asked my opinion before accepting him which I thought was sweet if a little strange.

He wanted to have the funeral ceremony right in the middle of the platform, so I cleared an area with some prods from a crewman’s cudgel. I got everyone together and made sure that we wore as much black as possible. We don’t really have very many black clothes. It was going well until he wanted the captain to say the eulogy. She launched right into it, but she wasn’t really saying anything. It was just those mindless things people usually say at funerals. I remember my mother’s funeral. When I heard the priest saying those mindless platitudes it made me furious.

I don’t think the Clay Conductor liked it much either because he started giving the captain tiny details to work into the eulogy. Once all that was over, I showed him to his bunk. He took the urn along. I was hoping he’d leave it behind.

When that was over, we took the Incautious Driver to Brabazon Workworld to look for the verdant fragment. They scented the air like a hound, then straightened. “I know where it is,” they said. They could taste it on the wind. The verdant fragment and its host are hiding in a place called Hostrop Deep. Until now, it never occurred to me that we would find a person at the end of all this. I should have realized it sooner, honestly.

Our Determined Scholar insisted that we visit the Governor in Little Nice. Personally, I would rather chew my foot off then be on a workworld, but the captain did that stupid thing where she loops her arm through mine and drags me off. I gritted my teeth the whole time I was there in that toff’s house. What a bastard. Acting as though he cares about the workers when they’re getting put through hell. I took more tea than I should have specifically so I could take the leftovers onto the engine.

Then we had to go on a tour. It was awful. We had to see the poor workers smile stiffly and rehearse their lines at us. By the glassblowers, some rich jerks were boasting about how they’d paid for a furnace here ‘to help the poor.’ Ugh. I sarcastically claimed that I’d paid for the fucking roof. The people here don’t understand sarcasm and thought I was being serious. At least the Sly Mistress got the joke. She thought it was even funnier when the rich jerks started babbling about their family members and asking if I was married. Later, she told me that they had been flirting with me on behalf of their siblings, but that seems ridiculous to me. 

I made us linger. We waited a bit by the hour refinery during that part of the tour. I wanted to show the Determined Scholar what the workers were like without an audience. She’d been too damn cheerful about the whole thing and was falling for the charade here. After the tour had moved on, one of the workers jumped up, put on a striped blazer and dashed off. She was replaced by a tired woman. We rejoined the tour then.

At the end of it, one of the overseers asked us (privately) if we could sneak away from the tour next time and spy on the workers here to stamp out any revolution. I’ve never wanted to punch anyone so badly, but the Sly Mistress dug her nails into my arm. She murmured something to him about she might do something and she might not. He seemed okay with this response.

Once we were alone together, I asked her what she was playing at. “We mustn’t give our hand away. If you want to help them, you have to be smart about it. I believe in playing a long game, don’t you?” Her plan is to come back later (to avoid suspicion) and redo the tour. Then we’ll sneak off and see if we can help the workers. Sometimes I forget what her use-name says about her. I was so surprised and happy that I wanted to kiss her again. I’ve got to kick that. She wouldn’t be interested, and it’s just not professional anyways.

 

11, January 1906

The crew has been thinking about democracy lately. The Rat Brigade wanted to try it out on the engine and I threatened to set the bat on them. A stoker tried explaining the concept to the Devil and he couldn’t stop laughing.


	11. The Truth

11, January 1906

Stopped by the Floating Parliament today. This place is so annoying. It’s just a bunch of people trying to undermine the Empress in the worst way possible. They don’t do anything here. They just yammer on about useless laws. The minute we docked, we encountered some protesters who wanted our advice on a petition. It was about whether to change 'Wednesday' to 'Victoria Day' or rename 'Victoria sponge' to 'The People’s Cake.' See what I mean? Useless. The Sly Mistress laughed and looped her arm through mine. “I do love cake. Let’s rename that cake.” I admit that I may have bit back a laugh.

We went for a walk in Traitor’s Green and tried to stop a drunk man from falling off the edge. We didn’t get there in time. Oh, well. These things happen. The interesting thing is that a clerk tapped me on the shoulder afterwards. He looked us up and down and wanted to talk to us. He took us inside the palace to his office and wrote notes while he was talking to us. Apparently, the drunkard was the MP for Lustrum and he wants me to take his place. I thought he meant the captain at first. Then my captain smiled and ran a hand down my arm. “The Stolid Crewman would make a wonderful MP,” she said. I nearly choked on my own damn tongue. So apparently the next time we go to Lustrum, I can become an MP.

 

13, January 1906

We brought down a deranged dreadnought today. We tried to pry the weapon off, but someone slipped and dropped the damn thing. It shattered. I was very stern with the person whose fingers slipped. Next time we try this, I’ll make sure we’re all wearing gloves. Maybe that will help. We gathered up the twisted shards of glass and metal. Maybe a collector will want them.

Also saw the Tower of Chimes. The crew all went quiet. I think they were hoping to hear him chime. Found an abandoned factory and sent the crew to strip the old equipment for repairs. I went along and found a number three gasket! They’re so hard to find. I couldn’t help but show it off to my captain. She laughed and patted my arm. I don’t think she understood why I was so excited about it, but she let me take her down to the engine room and watched me fit it into the engine.

 

14, January 1906

The Sly Mistress took us into the Storm that Speaks. Lightning lashed the engine and she screamed over the howling winds, “I have to know!” We waited in the eye of the storm and she tried to speak with it. Thunder shook the engine until screws started coming out and I snapped at the Rat Brigade to take us away. The Sly Mistress sulked for the rest of the day.

 

16, January 1906

We heard the Tower of Chimes today. I’d almost forgotten what the distorted chiming sounded like. When I was part of the Tacketies, I did some work in Albion as well as in the Reach. Can’t say I missed the place. Funnily enough, now that we’re in Albion the captain wants to head back to the Reach. We’ve got some goods to deliver to Lustrum. Mistress wants to ask the captains at New Winchester about whatever mystery she’s following with her missing friend. The only problem is that things have shifted around a bit up here and we’re not sure where the station is. You’d think we were in the sea.

 

18, January 1906

We’re back in the Brabazon Workworld. We took another tour and snuck away from the group while they were admiring the glass. We found some odd graffiti on a wall that read ‘ONE DAY AT A TIME.’ I’m not sure if it’s encouragement or a complaint. We tried speaking to the workers, but they were suspicious. Only a few would talk to us and they were guarded. Can’t blame the poor sods. Someone was injured in an accident and the Sly Mistress arranged for the doctor to come over by using up her last permit. He comes twice a week, but that’s his time. From the workers point of view, he hardly comes at all. They gave us bibles as thanks. I’m just glad we can help them out some. It’s not much, but every bit counts. Someone marked the way back to the tour with chalk arrows. Don’t know who they are, but I appreciate them.

 

24, January 1906

Found the station by sheer luck and now back in the Reach. I have to reorganize the hold every time those government bastards search it for contraband. They always make a mess of things.

In Port Prosper, a butler came up to us and handed us his master’s card. Wealthy neighbourhood. Apparently, my captain has a reputation now. His master is desperate to meet with us. We went over to his estate. It took up half a block but was run down. The Industrialist saw us in one of his drawing rooms. I still can’t believe he has more than one. You don’t even need one drawing room. He was a sour-faced man who knocked back rum. He wants us to go to the Blue Kingdom and bring his wife back from the dead. He’ll give us a small fortune if we manage it.

The Sly Mistress smirked and immediately tried to get a higher reward out of him. He caved immediately. He’s got a contact in the Blue Kingdom in the London embassy for us to meet. He’s willing to give us as much time as we need. I made sure that he understood that this might take us years, but he doesn’t care. He’s sure that we can do it.

I can’t believe we have that kind of reputation. How did we get this reputation?

He also seemed to think that the Sly Mistress and I were co-captains of the engine or something like that. She didn’t bother to correct him, so I did. Then she corrected me.

On the walk back, I asked her why. Her smirk only grew. “You stay in the captain’s cabin with me, don’t you? We’ve moved all your stuff in. That makes you a captain.”

“We can’t both be the captain. That doesn’t make sense.”

“The crew doesn’t have a problem with it and neither do I. You’ve helped me build this engine up into something wonderful, especially if people are seeking us out for such interesting jobs. You may be the quartermaster in name, but the crew treats you like a second captain. I think it’s been working rather well, don’t you?”

I couldn’t really argue with that. How can you argue against something that doesn’t make any sense? I don’t lead people. Never have, never will. It’s just not me. I’m not going to change what I’m doing or move out of our room, though. I told her that and her smirk turned teasing. “Why would you do a thing like that? You’re very comfortable with me. We both get to do what we enjoy. Occasionally I need someone to hold me back and you need someone to push you forward. I think everything’s working out very well.”

 

26, January 1906

Been thinking about what my captain said. I don’t think we’re running the ship together, but I will admit that I have taken up some of a captain’s duties. She’s just so bad at the technical parts of running an engine. And she does need someone to hold her back now and then. I suppose most crewmen don’t dare tell their captain to turn the engine around or change how they’re running it. Or take up assigning jobs to the crew and make sure they’re paid every week and punished when they screw up.

Maybe we are co-captaining.

 

27, January 1906

Found some ruins. We took some people in to explore but lost three of them in a cave in. Also lost two crates of supplies. Didn’t get enough treasure to make up for the loss.

 

1, February 1906

Shot down a scrive-spinster and used the new assaying equipment to get a jumble of souls out of some ruins. Then something hit us and spun away. It rammed us again and we heard a thunderous roar. Turned out to be an aeginae so we got out of there.

 

2, February 1906

At Lustrum. Sold the goods. Also stood in parliament. I didn’t expect to win the position of ‘representative for Lustrum,’ but I did. I can’t believe it. It’s hilarious.

I also got to watch the Sly Mistress try to make conversation with the Clay Conductor. When not working, he sits in his cabin and goes over sheet music. She gave up talking to him and looked at the music instead. She suspects it was written by him. I don’t see the clay men making music of any kind, but who knows? I’ve seen stranger things than a clay man with musical ambitions.

She might be right. I heard him trying to sing once, but he gave up quickly. His voice isn’t right for it. Too gravelly, maybe? My captain is so eager to do something for him (I think she gets bored easily and that’s why she takes on so many jobs) that I told her in private. She got that glint in her eye and wants to get him some chorister nectar to help.

We’re headed back to New Winchester for repairs.

 

5, February 1906

Last night, Sly Mistress woke up screaming again. I held her close and we talked about all the horrible things we’ve already seen out here in the skies until she felt better. Her nightmares were nothing compared to some of the things we’ve already seen. When we were nestled back into the sheets again, I did a stupid thing. I felt comfortable and warm. I was also relieved that she had calmed down. Before I dropped off, I sleepily kissed her on the cheek.

She didn’t say anything about it this morning, but she did kiss me on the cheek when she got up.

It was nice.

I’m going to keep doing it.

 

8, February 1906

In New Winchester. Got the engine repaired. We were going for a walk down Chaplet Street and ran into a group of Psalmists and New Sequencers fighting. We waded in and knocked their heads together. We had it all sorted out by the time the constables arrived. The Psalmists were kicked out and their church has been shut down.

The Thirteenth Psalmists threw themselves at my captain’s feet and begged us to take them to the White Well in the Blue Kingdom. I shrugged and the Sly Mistress took them on. I made it clear to them that they were going to work and not just lounge around all day. Also that it would be a while before we could drop them off. They didn’t mind. The Twice-Scorned Priest smiled. A few of the crew shuddered away from him, but I couldn’t see what was so hideous about it. Then again, my mother was a monster hunter, so I don’t get scared easily.

After they’d boarded the engine, my captain cheerfully asked me if I would have used my bone harpoon on them if I’d had it with me. I told her sternly that it was a weapon made for killing. There’s no point in pulling the thing out unless you’re going to kill something. It gets sulky otherwise. She suggested I start carrying the harpoon around in case I get caught up in another fight. “I’d rather have you kill someone then die yourself,” she said. “Although, I can always do the killing for you if you really need it done.”

I took her to Mme. Lumiere’s showing. Mostly it was just a lot of videos of fungus and the occasional death of a cameraman. A lot of people left halfway through, but we thought it was interesting. The Sly Mistress was enraptured.

Afterwards, Mme. Lumiere took us to a café and we had tea. She’s retiring. She’s also sick. I think she picked something up while she was making that movie.

Then, we visited the other captains. The Sly Mistress is determined to find her missing friend (Staunch Practitioner) and continue her research. The others each had a piece of whatever mystery my captain is chasing. Each one is investigating a particular strand of the investigation. Spatchcocker Meg is investigating the Fire that Follows. The Bedevilled Didact is learning about the politics of heaven. The Masked Citizen is investigating ‘the Courtesy,’ and the Baroness is learning about how stars die.

I’m not sure what the Sly Mistress is getting herself involved in, but I’ll be able to keep her out of trouble. She pulled the Determined Scholar aside and gave her permission to write out what we learned in her notebook.


	12. The Stars Have Eyes

10, February 1906

Selling some things at the Circus and met an Amiable Vagabond there. He made a dozen ridiculous claims and said that he told stories that would stick in our heads until we died. Interestingly enough, he wanted payment in stories instead of sovereigns. I have to admit, he’s sort of charming. In a gruff, grizzled sort of way. He’s cheerful and does card tricks and tells ribald jokes. He’s got a fiddle with him and no luggage to speak of. My captain adores him. I ensured that he would work as a signaller.

He and Incautious are already as thick as thieves. I wouldn’t want to play a poker game with them. Vagabond strikes me as a restless sort. Always moving about and talking to people. Asking all sorts of questions about their personal lives. I grunted at him until he stopped asking me questions, but then he just started telling me stories. He does tell good stories.

My captain asked him to play for us. Vagabond pulled out this patched-up fiddle that looked like it’d been broken ten times over and played the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. I’ve always liked bar songs and things like that. This was different. My heart squeezed in my chest and I started remembering things that I’d nearly forgotten. I had to sit down. The Sly Mistress had tears in her eyes.

Tonight, he was in our quarters swapping stories with my captain. It felt nice when the Sly Mistress pulled out the notebook that I’ve been writing her stories in and read several out to him. Vagabond claimed to be the king of a loose collection of vagrants who call themselves ‘skylarks.’ Says they meet up once a month at Port Prosper and that we’re invited.

We also hit something as soon as we pulled out of the Circus. It glanced off our hull and Incautious whooped. I snapped at them to double back so we could see what it was. Turned out to be a many-winged skybeast that we scooped up. It’s in a cage now and Determined is ogling it from a safe distance.

 

13, February 1906

Today, Sly Mistress woke up in a fury. Her fingers curled into claws and she stormed down the hallways and into the hold. I followed her and good thing I did because she nearly messed everything up in there. She’s been dreaming about one of the otherworldly artefacts that we have. It’s been cropping up in her dreams. I managed to talk her out of burning it. She insisted on offering it to the Waste-Waif. We opened a hatch and tossed it into the void while talking about how unwelcome and unloved the damn thing was. I don’t know if it worked, but it calmed the Sly Mistress down.

 

14, February 1906

In the Nature Reserve. The scientists here have finished their research on the materials we brought them and were eager to show us what they’ve done. It’s rather interesting. They’ve managed to create a new type of plant called a Sapling Knot. These plants grow into trees that sprout vegetables. Edible vegetables. The Phlegmatic Researcher says that wood may be negotiated with. He gave us a sack of seeds as payment, but they’re just regular verdant seeds. I would have been happier if he’d given us a sack of Sapling Knot seeds. What a cheapskate.

Now, he’s researching one of the winds that blow through here and would like some items to help his research. The Sly Mistress is eager to help him. “It is simply horrible,” she said, “to be denied access to the proper tools!”

He wants a Cantankeri stomach, a cutting of a Titanian petal and a Fungal Crinoline. At least he doesn’t want more ants.

Took the Sly Mistress on a walk in the woods. Brought along some scones and we had a picnic.

We also found the Circus’ runaway acrobat. Poor sod had tried to play tour-guide and stumbled into some thorned flowers. His legs are all swollen up, but we took him out of the hospital and wheeled him onto the engine. He should be okay by the time we get back to the Circus.

 

18, February 1906

We were battling a Tackety Scout when one of the watchmen started screaming about a star that winked out. Even though we were in battle, my captain ordered a few people to stop what they were doing and watch the stars. They saw another star wink out and became panicked. I wrestled them into their quarters and locked them in. They can come out when they calm down.

 

The battle’s been over for a few hours. I just checked on them. They’ve stopped ranting and have settled down in a sullen semi-circle to do math. They’re trying to figure out how long it will be before all the stars are gone. I told them to get back to work but saved the math for the Sly Mistress to look at.

 

19, February 1906

Reunited the acrobat with his twin at the Circus. The two wandered off together. Now, the Ringmaster wants us to post flyers for the Strongwoman. They’re boring flyers. They just let people know that she’ll lift whatever they bring her.

 

20, February 1906

I sleep very lightly. That’s the only reason I was able to snag the Sly Mistress when she tried to sneak out of bed. She hissed like a wildcat, but I held her tightly until she told me what was wrong. It’s another one of the artefacts we’re carrying. She keeps seeing it in her dreams. I let her burn it this time. Hopefully, it won’t happen again.

 

23, February 1906

We’re nearing Hybras. The Incautious Driver is scared of the fungus-choked surroundings. I’ve never seen them scared before. I can’t remember if they were this worked up the last time we came here.

 

26, February 1906

Finally in Hybras. We started by scavenging for supplies. It didn’t go well. I threw up. I don’t want to talk about it. Still green around the gills, we went into the colony itself.

It was abandoned. The houses were dark. Everything was quiet. One of our passengers, the Persnickety Factor, was upset that everyone had run off like that. She wants to look for them. We did manage to find the station master, but he didn’t know anything. We found some footprints leading towards the fungal forest. I ordered the crew to scavenge the place and we found some fuel and supplies.

We found houses where dinner was laid out and tea was left cold. It looked like everyone just stopped what they were doing and wandered off. The Persnickety Factor found a new type of mushroom that looks like a crocus. It looks like some of the stuff that Mme. Lumiere was filming. We think we might have a lead with her (wherever she is) but we’re going to take some samples of the new fungus to the Superior Researcher at the Nature Reserve. Can’t wait to meet him. Probably arrogant as hell.

 

Tonight, the unthinkable happened.

Mutiny.

We woke to the sound of a gunshot and yelling. I pulled out my harpoon and my captain got a pair of wicked, curved daggers. We burst out of our room and were met with an empty corridor. We stealthily crept into the next room and found a group of fighting stokers. The captain snarled at them and a few fell in line. The rest attacked. I carved one open with my harpoon.

We worked our way through the engine, gathering the loyal crew in our wake. All our officers were loyal and none of them died. We lost six crew. We all worked together to sponge the blood off the floors, walls and ceilings and shove the bodies out into the void.

The hold is a mess. Both sides looted it for supplies and weaponry. We’ve only got half a crate of supplies left and we’ve only got four terrified crew. Our only hope is to get to the Circus before something worse happens.

 

1, March 1906

Ran out of food. Everyone is starving. Wherever you look, you see hollow faces and wolfish eyes. The Sly Mistress is looking especially feral and carries her daggers everywhere now.

A horrible wind rocked the engine and the things in the hold went flying. Someone didn’t secure it properly. I ordered the crew to fling nets over the fuel barrels to keep them safe. If those are broken, we’ll die for certain out here. We lost someone else when another jolt made a stack of crates fall onto someone.

 

2, March 1906

Another accident. A ruptured pipe released a fatally hot scorch of steam and someone was cooked alive.

There was nobody to prepare the meat. Our cook died yesterday. I made the stew myself. It’s not the first time I’ve had to eat human flesh. It’s nothing personal. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

It was a bad stew anyways. Nothing more than meat boiled in water. Nothing more than cracking the bones open and letting the marrow seep into the water and turn it a rich, flavourful brown. I wonder if my mother ever ate human flesh. Is eating human flesh better than eating sea-beast flesh? Or worse?

I’m not sure it matters. I’ve eaten both, haven’t I?

In the middle of the night, my captain demanded a telescope. She stared into it and then jerked back suddenly. “The stars are watching,” she said. “They’ve always been watching.”

 

3, March 1906

We made it to the Circus. We have food. Now we just need to get more crew. We’re off to New Winchester and then Magdalene’s.

 

4, March 1906

In New Winchester and hired on more crew. We’re out of danger now, but my captain and I are still very tense. I’ve taken to carrying my harpoon around the past few days. I hear the bone singing to me.

We posted the Strongwoman’s flyers and questioned Mme. Lumiere. She wants us to check on some production in Lustrum before she tells us anything, though. The Sly Mistress’ eyes flashed and she gripped her blade. I dragged her off before she could kill Mme. Lumiere and yelled over my shoulder that we would take a look at Lustrum for her. I held the Sly Mistress until she stopped shaking and the bloodlust drained out of her eyes. She let me carry her back to the engine. Mostly because she slumped onto the floor like a child and refused to walk.

 

7, March 1906

Arrived at Magdalene’s. The Sly Mistress underwent treatment for her nightmares. So did I.


	13. Love and Labels

13, March 1906

Delivered some supplies to the Bedevilled Didact for more of my captain’s study into ‘The Truth.’ I’m not sure why she calls it that. I think she just likes being dramatic. It looks like all of this research into ‘The Truth’ is angling towards a journey to the Blue Kingdom.

Thankfully, the Sly Mistress isn’t in a hurry to get there. “These mysteries are ancient,” she said. “We have more than enough time to relax and enjoy ourselves. There’s no need to rush.”

We were alone in our room when she said that to me. It got me thinking. We almost died earlier. It’s true that there’s no need to charge into things, but we also shouldn’t drag our feet.

My mother went out twice to become a monster hunter. She failed the first time and I dragged her home and nursed her back to health. The second time she went out, she succeeded. She was always different after that, and every now and then I would find myself wishing that I’d… I don’t know. Been more open about my affections.

I used to be called the Somber Child and now I’m the Stolid Crewman. All this mushy stuff has never been easy for me. I like things to be clear. I like charts and graphs and easy-to-understand numbers. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, and I’m not going to change, but I do think that it’s time I face my feelings.

I’m in love with the Sly Mistress.

It’s very unprofessional, but there it is. I should probably do something about it. We’re headed to Port Prosper to drop off some trade goods. I’ll tell her before we get there. As soon as I figure out how.

 

16, March 1906

Ate dinner at a homestead today. Very nice people. Caught the Sly Mistress alone and ended up not saying a word and looking at the stars with her.

 

17, March 1906

In Port Prosper and still have said nothing to the Sly Mistress. What is wrong with me? This should be easy. She lets me kiss her on the cheek. She’s so emotional all the time. We’re going to Lustrum next. I’ll tell her before we get there.

 

20, March 1906

I’m an idiot.

We heard this squelching noise that made all of us confused. We drove towards it and the Incautious Driver actually brought the engine to a halt when we saw what it was. A poor marauder (something I never thought I’d say) was battling some hideous cluster of fungus. The fungus was all mounded together. It could have been a damn island. It spat out goop, but it had horrible aim so we didn’t even have to move. We just shot it down. The marauder didn’t even attack us afterwards. We shot it down too, but that’s beside the point.

The Sly Mistress and I went out to investigate it. I brought my harpoon because I still had no idea what we were dealing with. It turned out to be a herd of cantankeri that had been engulfed in some horrible fungus. We bounced up and down on it experimentally.

Her eyes lit up and she said, “Do you think that we can dig through the fungus to reach the cantankeri? I want to see if the jewels in their plates have been affected by this.”

I grinned, hefted the harpoon and said, “I love you.”

She blinked.

I started cutting through fungus in the hopes that she just wouldn’t say anything. When she opened her mouth to speak, I pointed at the hole I’d cut and said, “Look, you can see the cantankeri now. Help me pry the plates apart.”

We worked in silence. I’m hiding in the engine room now while I write this. How could I have been so stupid? Who says that while standing ankle-deep in fungal growth?

 

21, March 1906

The only problem with last night’s plan was that I’d have to go into our room eventually. Last night, I waited until it was very late. I snuck over to our cabin and cracked the door open. I saw that she was asleep and held my breath. Amateurs breathe sighs of relief. Smart people don’t start making noise just because they think they’re in the clear.

Stealthily, I crept over and sat by the bed. I didn’t dare get into it. I just leant back against it and closed my eyes.

That was a mistake.

The mattress creaked and fingers tangled into my hair. She yanked my head up viciously so that my throat was exposed. I was paralyzed with the effort to remain still. My instincts were to grab her, but I didn’t want to hurt her just because she startled me. Nervous sweat dripped down the back of my neck. She slowly leaned forward and whispered, “I love you too.”

I could feel her lips brushing against the shell of my ear.

I didn’t think. I just awkwardly half-turned and kissed her. Kissing her was even better than I imagined it would be.

We ended up being. Intimate. It felt wonderful. I wasn’t quite sure what to do after, though. I asked her if this meant that we were a couple and she just asked me if that’s what I wanted it to mean.

Why do women always have to talk in circles?

I said yes. We’re officially together now.

Does that make her my girlfriend? I don’t like that term. It makes this sound like some stupid kid’s crush. Maybe labels don’t matter as long as we’re together. That’s what’s important.

 

23, March 1906

Incautious Driver won the bet. They’re being very annoying about it.

We found Mme. Lumiere’s film crew in Lustrum. They’re idiots. It’s a wonder her previous film was so good. This crew of morons was trying to stage the siege of New Winchester in a shed. They’ve lost both the director and the lead actor. The Persnickety Factor was exasperated and went back to the engine to smoke. I almost joined her.

We rewrote the script. They had the cheek to complain. Mme. Lumiere is a shit writer. I know why she does documentaries now. It’s because she can’t string stories together.

 

26, March 1906

Rat Brigade found the horn today. We usually don’t use it, because there’s no point to it. All it does is make noise. Good to blast at annoying locomotives, but only if you want them to honk back at you.

They kept laughing and honking the damn horn so I disconnected it. They're sulking now.

 

1, April 1906

At Port Avon. Took Vagabond out to find his skylark camp, but they were already gone. I made copies of the skylark symbols that he showed me. They’d been carved into a post and identified this place as ‘unfriendly.’ I agree.

I like the skylarks. They’re nice people. Very cheerful with good booze and better stories.

 


	14. The Giggling Place

3, April 1906

We looted an abandoned homestead today. The Determined Scholar came up to me after I gave the order, eyes wide. “Are we pirates? We do an awful lot of stealing and scavenging.”

“Don’t be stupid,” I said. “Now strip that cabinet bare.”

 

4, April 1906

Dropped off the flyers for the strongwoman at the Nature Reserve. We left to people arguing about whether or not she could lift an asteroid. I hope she’s prepared. We also gave the Researcher his stuff. I’m glad to get rid of the cantankeri stomach. Now I just have to figure out how to get rid of the stench it left behind.

Also got an update on the Sapling-Knot situation. Local captains think that they’re a stupid idea. Unsurprisingly, Sly Mistress was shocked and agreed to carry some to Port Prosper. At least it’s on the way. We’ve got some business in Albion, so we plan to finish up our delivery to the Circus and go to Albion. I think she’s itching to explore some new territory.

I’ve packed the Sapling Knots just like I pack the verdant seeds. Hopefully, nothing bad will come of this.

 

6, April 1906

We immediately dived deeper into the forest instead of going to the Circus. “We have a giant blank spot on my map!” my captain said. “We have to explore it!”

I don’t understand why she doesn’t buy pre-filled in maps. I know that people sell maps. According to her, it’s a crime to write on a map. If she draws the map herself, she can scribble notes all over it.

This explains why the places on our map have names that don’t always match up to what other people call them. Try telling someone that you’ve been to the Mold Pastures or Jetticus Hives. It just makes people confused.

 

8, April 1906

Found an enormous flower. We landed our engine on a stalk. It was like being in a forest of petals. Mistress was enraptured and insisted on harvesting nectar herself. She came out coated in the stuff, but we got a lot of it.

Awful lot of chorister-bees around. More than near Titania. She named the place ‘Apoidean Gardens.’ I told her that she couldn’t just make up words, but she only patted my cheek.

 

12, April 1906

Found a signal box and repaired our engine. We left a crate of food and materials in return. It’s good to pay off these debts immediately if you can.

 

15, April 1906

We’re at the camp of dowdy scholars in the woods. Sly Mistress wants to go on a trip to the Giggling Place. We’re taking ten people. And two barrels of fuel. This had better be worth it. The first day was okay. It rained and we camped in a gully.

 

16, April 1906

Went around the Whispering Bog. Had another encounter with those damned terrifying trees, but I didn’t flinch this time. It helped that I had my harpoon with me. It made me feel better.

We found a dell of some kind where the air cackled around us. We covered our ears and went in deeper. Eventually, a copse of trees blocked our path. We could hear that damned shrieking laughter even though we had wax in our ears. I motioned for the Sly Mistress to stay back.

She twitched and tensed.

She darted forward. I couldn’t catch her. I managed to grab her hat (and the Star-Smitten Bat that clings constantly to it) but lost her in the trees. The crew protested but hung back. Their relief was palpable.

She came back a few minutes later clutching a bronze seal. She told me of a three-headed fox that spoke to her and gave her a lead for where to go next.

I thought about trying to make her swear an oath not to run off again, but decided there was no point to it. It’s in her nature to do batshit crazy stuff now and then.

 

23, April 1906

In New Winchester. Gave some chorister-nectar to the Clay Conductor. He gargled with it for a bit, but he can talk normally now. He used to be part of a choir. Never heard of anything like that, but now I want to. He wants to go the Most Serene Mausoleum to find another Clay singer there.

I took it upon myself to talk to Vagabond. He’s been moody since we left Port Avon. He keeps making the stokers cry with his nostalgic music. I think if we show him his old homestead in Lustrum, he’ll knock it off.

We tried to have an actual conversation with Mme. Lumiere about the fungus, but she just dashed off to get a bird. The damn thing’s horrific. It’s half-cooked and covered in fungus. Even the Sly Mistress took a step back! This type of fungus is what devastated Hybras. It reacts badly to the small golden mushrooms we found earlier.

This is going to end with us running from a batch of infected villagers, isn’t it?

One of our barrels of hours cracked, so we dumped it and now we have to go to Lustrum anyways to get another barrel to finish our job. Swapped out the assaying equipment for the mining drill despite Mistress’ pouting.

 

1, May 1906

Arrived at Lustrum after a nasty run-in with a Scrive-Spinster. I swear they’ve gotten harder to deal with.

We started by going to Vagabond’s old house. I wasn’t surprised to find it miles from the main town, but I was surprised to find it was a mansion. It even had a butler. Sly Mistress wrinkled her nose while we explored the place. “Father would never allow our mansion to get this way.”

Her family’s got a place in London. Am I going to have to meet her parents? Would they even like me?

Anyways, the Vagabond used to have a claim field here and he was very lucky. He sold all the hours and used the cash to buy this place and host extravagant parties. He left it all behind him to travel.

A letter was delivered while he was away. It’s from that missing Skylark, Quivers. He said that he found the Sugarspun Garden and was looking for help. Vagabond was uncertain about it, but it’s foolish to just dismiss these kinds of things. That’s how you’ll end up dead.

He kept gnawing on the story like a dog with a bone throughout the night. We had to stay overnight because of a blizzard. Hopefully, we’ll be able to find this Quivers.

 

5, May 1906

One of our engineers decided that he was going to take a vow of silence. I could handle it if this meant not talking, but to him it means not making any noise. He’s wrapped his feet in rags and won’t pick up any tools. I tried to get him back to work. He’s all jittery and he’s making everyone nervous.

 

6, May 1906

At New Winchester. Got repairs and our assaying equipment back. Mistress is talking to it right now.

 

8, May 1906

Delivered goods at Circus. Strongwoman is happy and hopes they’ll bring something interesting. She was way too pleased with the idea of people bringing in asteroids.

Next stop is Port Prosper. We’re off to Albion.

 

12, May 1906

At Braley Rock. We decided to pay our respects by lighting the lanterns. We ended up taking too long in the cold and we startled the cantankeri. Oops. We had to break our cover and sprint back to the engine. We didn’t lose a single person.

If I was a good shot, I’d have been able to put down some covering fire. Sly Mistress and I are both good at close-quarters combat.

 

14, May 1906

Delivered the Sapling Knots to Port Prosper. It was a lot of paperwork and I filled it in myself. I wouldn’t trust the Sly Mistress with paperwork. I think she’d get bored and wander off.

 

16, May 1906

Got the paperwork sorted out and we’re off to Albion.


	15. Gates of Gant

19, May 1906

We’ve decided that our first stop will be London. It’s a good idea to get an idea of where the major port is before we do a lot of exploring. We have business there as well. I’ll also be able to rustle up some work with the Sly Mistress in London. Between the two of us, we can find work for the engine anywhere but it’s easier in a large, central port.

Vagabond is happy because he thinks that the key to finding Quivers is to find his old bandmate Ratbite. He wants to break her out of jail. The Sly Mistress is very excited about this. I have to admit, I’m curious to see if we can pull it off. Whenever my criminal contacts get sent to jail, I don’t talk to them. Let alone try to rescue them.

 

21, May 1906

Found a Bully’s Acre today. It’s awful how they just set all those coffins out to float in the void. What a waste. We sent the Star-Smitten Bat out today (it’s hard to disentangle the shy creature from my captain’s floral hat) and it came back all giddy. It really loves exploring.

I like watching my captain send it out. She packs a little bag of moths for the journey. It’s so cute. She can be so bloodthirsty at times, but then she goes and scratches bats under their chins. I think my mother would have approved.

 

22, May 1906

Star-Smitten Bat led us to the Wit and Vinegar Lumber Company. Got into an argument with a few burly men who wouldn’t let us in. Resolved to come back later. Jerks. We’re obviously not tourists, we’re looking for work.

 

23, May 1906

At London. It was hard to find a spot to dock the engine and we figured out why as soon as we managed to get into the station. The Ministry of Public Decency was bragging about a new locomotive. It’s a beautiful thing. Sleek, blue and covered in lenses. They call it the Monitor class. It’s built for fighting.

I don’t care if it’s a Stovepipe engine, I wanted to see the insides. We managed to get a tour. It’s much prettier on the outside, which is typical for a Stovepipe design. The hull is curved beautifully, but it’s much lighter than the Dreadnoughts. It’s built for speed and evasion.

Our engine is built for stamina and cargo.

The insides are all crammed together. Piping sticks out at odd angles and the bridge has a lot of fancy equipment, but not enough room to move around properly. You can’t take advantage of it all when it’s so packed in.

It’s also easy to make mistakes that way. Determined Scholar was going nuts over the equipment and almost hit the trigger for the gun. I’m all for sabotage, but not around witnesses. And that’s right. Just the one gun. These Stovepipes are so bloody arrogant.

We also broke Quivers out of jail. Vagabond came up with a horrible plan. It was the worst thing I’ve ever heard of. Way too intricate. The Sly Mistress and I shared a look and she used one of her contacts instead. Her contact cancelled Quivers’ trial so she was set free. She’s resting now and we’ll talk to her in the morning.

Sly Mistress glanced at her and said, “Barely mad. She’ll be fine with some rest.”

At the end of the day, almost as an afterthought, we bought a new locomotive. It’s a beautiful, gleaming Agravain-Class Juggernaut. We named it Knife’s Edge. I supervised the crew as they moved everything over.  It’s always so much work getting a new engine, but I think we’ve needed this for a while now.

 

24, May 1906

Finally managed to fill in an order from the Office of Works that’s been floating around since we last came to London. It made them nervous because it was an improvised explosive device. How do they think I’ve felt having it in the hold all this time? It’s safe enough.

 

28, May 1906

Found Lee’s Laze today. Sly Mistress insisted on bringing the engine right up to the grave of some skyfarer so we could read it. I don’t like London too much. All the smoke and dust in the air annoys me. I like the wilderness more. She seems to like it here just fine though. Probably because it’s new territory. She thinks I don’t see her poring over that silly handmade map of hers, but I see her.

 

31, May 1906

At The Most Serene Mausoleum. My captain is giddy. I wonder if she just likes graveyards. She pointed out the window as she approached and said, “Look, Stolid! A sun’s corpse is in there! Do you think they’ll let us see it?” It would be a sight, wouldn’t it?

We set the Determined Scholar loose to write her little guidebook or whatever she calls it and got straight to business. We only had one crate of crockery when we arrived, but I looked around and found someone else selling crockery. We scooped it up and sold it back to the Macabre Counsellor. She doesn’t have a good head for business. That’s probably why she’s always buying new tea sets. I like tea as much as anyone, but it tastes the same if you drink it in a mason jar.

Thankfully, my captain wasn’t interested in seeing the tombs. She wanted to see the Deathless. We talked to the Luminous Cardinal and he pestered Determined Scholar and Sly Mistress about the bible. Mostly it was just a lot of chatter.

Then we got a letter from the Macabre Counsellor asking for our attendance. Guess we made an impression. She wanted us to find her daughter. The Empress took her away to punish her, so I’m up for it. She’s being held at Perdurance. I’m pretty sure we can manage it. We’re getting quite the reputation as rescuers, which I didn’t expect.

We lumbered around for a bit to search for the Clay Conductor’s friend and got a lead. We think he’s called the Engraved Mourner. One of the Deathless. We’ll have to come back later for that. We already visited the Deathless and they won’t let us back in.

 

1, June 1906

Came across some graverobbers flying too close to a Skylark camp for our liking. We destroyed the graverobbers and spent a good night swapping stories with the Skylarks.

 

3, June 1906

I hate graverobbers. An engineer discovered that an unexploded shell had lodged itself into the plating of our locomotive. We ordered some nimbler engineers in to take it out and stood back. They took it apart and passed us the pieces one at a time. What a tense day. Ugh. My captain wrote them fancy letters.

 

4, June 1906

Arrived at the Stair to the Sea today. I spent some time looking down at the moldering ships bobbing on the waves below. Made me think of all those days spent at the Docks watching the sailors and waiting for my mother’s ship to come in. She had a little rowboat that she’d go out in for the hunt. She didn’t like joining those big ships with captains and sailors. She’d always say that a true hunter kills alone.

We went down the stairs and to the waters below. I kept one hand on the ice and held the Sly Mistress’ with the other. She kept glancing at me. I think she was worried about something. We stood alone on the silent platform. Water lapped at its edges. I pointed out some of the different boats.

It’s not like me to just do things. Normally, I plan and I think. I don’t just act. Today, I did.

I cut a small boat loose and got in. The Sly Mistress immediately jumped in beside me and sank her nails into the moldering wood. I rowed us out towards the Gate.

I remember coming through that Gate. I was eager for a new life and I’d like to think that I managed it. I think that I’m the person I want to be, or at least that I’m on the right path. I just wanted to see the Gate again, if that makes sense.

Once we were close enough, I reached out and touched it. The gant seared my fingertips with freezing chill. For some reason, seeing that gant colour – touching it – made me satisfied. I looked back to the Sly Mistress. She was paler than I’d ever seen her. I must have upset her somehow. There should be a guidebook for dealing with women.

I’m still not entirely sure how I upset her, but I calmed her down by tracing her cheek with my gant-chilled fingertips. “Just wanted to show it how far I’ve come,” I said.

She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch.


End file.
